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Monday, March 6, 2017

REVIEW: Konica Minolta ICE-µ Tint Film, Are All Tint Film The Same?

Car window tint is very synonymous with
drivers here due to our hot and humid weather in Malaysia. It is like a must
for all new car owners to have window film tints installed as soon as the car
drives out from the showroom. The
automotive window tint scene in Malaysia can be traced back to the mid-nineties
when there were only a few players in the market.

Fast forward, the automotive window
tint scene in Malaysia has since evolved from its humble beginnings. Today, we
see many brands and distributors mushrooming to satisfy the needs of new and
current car owners. Seeing this trend and also the sheer size of this business,
a new entrant to this industry has been established in Malaysia - the Konica Minolta ICE-µwindow
tint film – marketed through its authorised partner and sole distributor, Jasa Sarjana Sdn. Bhd (Jasa Sarjana).

Established in September 2013, Jasa Sarjana Sdn
Bhd exclusively offers Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window tint film at their outlet at Glenmarie, Selangor. So, if you are looking
for other window tint film brands, this is not the place for you.

Recently, Jasa Sarjana invited me to their outlet
to experience first-hand, the technology and product range from Konica Minolta ICE-µ window
tint films, which are available in the market.

Konica
Minolta has built up wide expertise in optical
technology through developing and producing film and lenses, evolving as a
company along with Japan's photographic culture. They have adapted the
technical knowhow to the changing world, advancing into new business areas such
as IT and medicine while consistently creating new value. Konica Minolta's new
high-performance window film, Ice-μ, is a product of their accumulated
expertise in optics and film manufacturing.

Enough of the history lesson. Let’s move on to
get know more about the technology behind the Konica Minolta ICE-µ
window tint film. The Konica
Minolta ICE-µ
window tint film technology features can be divided into four distinct aspects:

No signal interference

In pursuit of greater comfort

Wavelength control technology
and

Environmentally friendly

In this write-up,
I will explain to you, the readers of Auto Insider Malaysia, on each distinct
point that makes the Konica
Minolta ICE-µ
window tint film a great product.

The first point that I would like to discuss is
the ‘no signal interference technology’ of Konica Minolta ICE-µ
window tint film. The tint differs from
other technology on the market as it utilises a non-metallic nanotechnology layer, as opposed to competitors
who use metallic layers to block the blazing heat from the sun. The advantages
of using a non-metallic nanotechnology
layer is that the tint film will not interfere with mobile phone reception or
signals used by onboard devices, such as
car navigation systems and electronic toll collection systems such as
Smart-Tag. With this technology, you will not have drop calls (aside from those
due to cellular coverage) while talking on your mobile phone, experience good
GPS reception for navigation purposes and also have no issues whilst using
Smart-Tag in toll lanes. Now, you may have noticed the tint in some cars has a yellowish/brownish
reflection. This is because the metallic layers on the film have begun to
develop rust that has built up on the surface. With Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window tint film, you will not experience this issue and Konica Minolta
guarantees this throughout the film’s lifespan.

The second salient point is about the pursuit of
greater comfort. The Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window tint film ensure users that unwanted solar rays will be blocked, thus
reducing the heat from the sun. As you may know,
unwanted solar rays such as UV rays can be harmful to the skin for you and your
passengers and also affects the interior of the car. In blocking the UV rays,
interior of cars will not fade nor will there be issues with dashboard cracks.
The film is clear enough to comply with visible-light transmission laws around
the world and provides cooler and comfortable driving during daytime, all while ensuring a clear view for safe night driving. With safety
in mind, Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window security tint film also holds shattered glass together during instances
such as glass breakage due to loose stones deflected from large vehicles or in
carjacking cases.

The third point I would like to touch on is the
‘wavelength control technology’. As explained earlier in the history, Konica
Minolta film technology is built on the experience gained from a thin film and optical design. The Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window tint film has been designed
uniquely and innovatively to incorporate layers upon layers of functional
design. These layers include high and low refractive index films made from
newly developed nanomaterials which are sandwiched at optimal thickness enabling
the film to reject or absorb only UV rays and IR (infrared) wavelengths from the light spectrum. Through this
innovative technology, not only were the harmful rays rejected but at the same
time, the film lets through visible light
as high as 95% for some of their range of films.

With Konica MinoltaICE-µ Tint Film

The last point is about its ‘environmentally
friendly credentials’. As mentioned earlier, the ultimate pursuit of the
product is to give the best comfort and safety in mind. All Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window tint film is designed to reduce
heat considerably which in turn means you can rely less on air conditioning in
your car. This results in less fuel burn as the air conditioning system
operates at a lower level without zapping the power from your engine to cool
the cabin. With the increases in fuel price, purchasing Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window tint film will be a financially viable solution.

Without Konica MinoltaICE-µ Tint Film

With all the above mentioned technology, the
product would not be great without good manufacturing and material design. The Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window tint film is manufactured using high-tech
multicoated films with precision nano order where the layers of film have gone
through the ‘roll to roll’ coating
technology. This technology allows multiple coatings to be simultaneously
applied to each layer instead of one layer at a time. This will enable faster
and more stable production. Besides that, the material design of the tint film is
layered with special coating material properties that prevent different layers
of the tint material to be mixed, which can reduce its performance.

All in all, the Konica MinoltaICE-µ
window tint film technology and precision manufacturing method provides the highest quality automotive window tint film
technology on the market. The price for a whole car installed with Konica
Minolta ICE-µ window
tint film is roughly the same as what is being offered by other established
brands in the market. However, with a long history of technology and experience
in film and optics, the Konica Minolta ICE-µ
window tint film has established themselves as the next generation tint film
technology for your car.

In the next article, I will share my first-hand personal experience of the latest Konica Minolta ICE-µ RS series window
tint film and the installation process by their professional technicians. Stay tuned for the next update!!